After IFFI 2022 jury head Nadav Lapid called his film The Kashmir Files “vulgar propaganda,” Vivek Agnihotri responded with a cryptic tweet about truth making people lie.
Vivek Agnihotri sent a cryptic tweet hours after the jury head at India’s 53rd International Film Festival called his film The Kashmir Files “vulgar propaganda.” Vivek tweeted about how ‘truth can make people lie’ without mentioning the film or the incident. Many people on social media, however, interpreted this as a direct jab at the controversy.
On Monday night, at the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, this year’s jury head, said he was ‘disturbed’ by The Kashmir Files and called it propaganda. While the film’s lead actor, Anupam Kher, called the statement “pre-planned,” Vivek did not directly address the controversy. On Tuesday morning, he tweeted, “GM (good morning). The most dangerous thing is the truth. It has the potential to cause people to lie. #CreativeConsciousness”
GM.
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) November 29, 2022
Truth is the most dangerous thing. It can make people lie. #CreativeConsciousness
On Monday night, while speaking at the festival, Nadav Lapid specifically mentioned The Kashmir Files, saying, “That felt like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival.” I’m completely at ease sharing these emotions with you on this stage. In the spirit of this festival, can surely accept a critical discussion, which is essential for art and life.” According to ANI, the festival’s organisers declined to comment on the statement.
However, Anupam Kher, who starred in The Kashmir Files, has responded. During a press conference on Tuesday morning, he mentioned Lapid and said, “It appears pre-planned because the toolkit gang became active immediately after that.” It is shameful for him to make such a statement. Jews were persecuted during the Holocaust, and he is a member of that community. To make such a statement, he has also hurt those who were victims of this tragedy many years ago. May God grant him wisdom so that he does not use the sufferings of thousands to further his agenda on stage.”
Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files also stars Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumaar, and Pallavi Joshi. The film is based on true events that occurred in the Kashmir Valley in the early 1990s, including targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits and a mass exodus of the community.